Walker confident mining bill will pass

Gov. won’t sign bill he believes would hurt environment

Gov. Scott Walker said he is confident the Republican-controlled Legislature will pass a mining bill next year, but he won't sign anything he believes will hurt the environment.

Walker told The Associated Press in a Monday interview that he believes the June recall election against him made it more difficult for the mining bill to pass this year.

Lawmakers could not reach a compromise on the bill despite pressure from a company looking to open a new iron ore mine in northern Wisconsin near Lake Superior.

Walker said he would look at a bill that would do away with the state's 15-year-old "moratorium" on mines that produce polluting acids, but he doesn't want anything that would jeopardize the state's tourism and agriculture industries.

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.